The Road Sections 111-120 Summary

How It All Goes Down

Section 111

  • They go back to the iron bridge and make camp under it. Even though The Boy is scared, The Man leaves him to gather some wood for a fire.

Section 112

  • The Man gathers wood and lights a fire.

Section 113

  • The Man gathers more wood. He can see their fire from a distance, but he thinks no one can see it from the main road.

Section 114

  • They take inventory: binoculars, some gasoline, some water, pliers, spoons, and five tins of food.
  • They eat a can of corn.

Section 115

  • After they eat, The Man takes The Boy down to the water and washes the roadrat's blood and brains out of The Boy's hair.

Section 116

  • The Boy doesn't seem to be doing so well. The Man makes a bed for him in the sand and dries his hair.
  • The Man thinks some lofty thoughts: "All of this like some ancient anointing" (116.1).

Section 117

  • The Man wakes up and gets some more firewood. The Boy is still asleep but The Man runs his hands through his hair and thinks some vague, religious thoughts like: "Golden chalice, good to house a god" (117.1).

Section 118

  • The Man puts some more wood on the fire. He thinks about the roadrat: "My brother at last" (118.1).
  • When he wakes up, he makes a can of beets. The Boy watches him.

Section 119

  • There's new snow on the road. Luckily, no footprints or tracks anywhere.
  • They head down the road.

Section 120

  • That night they camp in a ravine and eat their last tin of food.
  • The Man has to assure The Boy that the roadrat was one of "the bad guys" and that they're "still the good guys" (120.5, 120.8).